He even specified certain details he wanted the owl to have: "black pupils and flappy wings."
And as much as I...don't enjoy stuffed animals as much as my kids do, in an effort to be the ever-doting mom I am (um, not really....), I decided I had a mission to accomplish and a challenge to complete. So I checked my stash of yarn and whipped this cutie right up yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning.
This owl worked up really quick and easy and it turned out completely adorable. I used a basic hat pattern (+ several simple increases and inches) to form the body, and simple crocheting techniques to do the eyes and wings.
I present to you, Herbert the Owl
Here's the pattern in case you're interested in making your own Herbert or "whooo"-ever!
Supplies:
- J10 hook
- Worsted weight yarn. For the owl body, I used just short of one skein of Vanna's Choice "Barley," which is a chocolate brown with flecks of cream and black. Perfect & owl-y, right? For the eyes, any white yarn will do. For the wings and black pupils and beak I just used scraps of black, forest green, and orange.
- Stitch marker to put at the beginning of each round to keep track of your rounds.
- Tapestry needle to sew in ends and to make beak and pupil details.
- A few handfuls of polyester stuffing you can buy at a craft or fabric store.
- The pattern assumes you know basic crochet terminology and stitches.
Round 1: Start with magic ring and 6 sc in ring
(This great tutorial is where I learned to make a magic ring a few years back).
Round 2: 2 sc in each st, around
Round 3: 2 sc in next st, sc in next st around
Round 4: 2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts around
Round 5: 2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts around
Round 6: 2 sc in next st sc in next 4 sts around
Round 7: 2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts around
Round 8: 2 sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts around
Round 9: 2 sc in next st, sc in next 7 sts around
Now you're done with the increases and you'll just continue to crochet around until you have a body shell that's as tall as you want it to be. This particular owl measures approximately 10"x10".
Don't tie off the body just yet. Leave it attached to your skein of yarn until it's time to stuff!
Set the body aside and make two eyes.
Start with a magic ring and 6 sc in ring.
2 sc in each st around
2 sc in each st, sc in next st around
Go one more round of increases (2 sc in each st, sc in next 2 sts around) if you want the eyes to be bigger.
Tie off ends but leave a long enough tail to sew onto the body.
Next, make two wings--you can use two colors or one, it's up to you!
Start with magic ring and 6 sc in ring.
2 sc in each st around
2 sc in each st, sc in next st around
2 sc in each st, sc in next 2 sts around
2 sc in each st, sc in next 3 sts around
Tie off ends and leave a long tail for sewing the wing together and attaching it to the body.
Next, fold wing in half, and sew together from the top down the round side of the circle, only halfway down so that half of it is closed and half is open.
Approximate the placement of owl eyes and wings and grab your tapestry needle.
Attach the eyes to the body by sewing around the whole circle. I like to put the eyes right next to each other so they touch ever-so-slightly.
And the wings need to go on the front-ish sides of the body. Sew those on, too!
At this point, it's all coming together, you just need to add the details!
I'll be the first to admit—sewing in the details is not my biggest strength. There was a lot of guessing involved but I think it turned out okay.
Beak:
Take two strands of orange yarn and just...sew a beak, starting right between the bottom of the eyes and working your way down to form a triangle. Tie off and knot ends on the wrong side of the front of the body.
Pupils:
Then, take two strands of black yarn and sew pupils. I just guessed how to do this and it worked out pretty good. You can use your magic ring circle to guide your needle! Tie off and knot ends on the wrong side of the front of the body.
Now that everything is sewed on, it's time to stuff and close!
Bring together the front and back of the body in a straight line. Take your long piece of yarn from where you left off with crocheting the body (the yarn that's still attached to the skein) and slip stitch through both the front and the back stitches—4 stitches total that you'll go through at each slip stitch. Stitch that sucker closed across the top of the body, about 1/2 way or 3/4 of the way across.
Take your stuffing and fill up your owl to the desired puffiness and fluff.
Pick up your hook again, and continue the slip stitch until it's all closed. Tie off and weave in ends!
And...you're done!
Enjoy!
